SSA seizes a desert truck with 18 migrants in Nesma

The Libyan Stability and Support Apparatus (SSA) seizes a “Toyota Sequoia” desert-style vehicle transporting 18 illegal migrants in the town of Nesma, south of the capital, Tripoli.

The required legal measures were taken and the illegal immigrants and the driver of the vehicle were referred to the Office of the Prosecutor for action.

SSA members are responsible for taking measures to prevent human trafficking, punish perpetrators and protect victims by all means, as per the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, which Libya ratified in March and September 2004, respectively, a SSA media spokesman told the correspondent of Libyan Express in Tripoli.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, more than 1,500 refugees have drowned in numerous boat mishaps and shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean route last year.

On 24 January 2023, a boat capsized off Libyan coasts and 8 people died. The boat carried approximately 150 people: 84 survived and were taken back to Libya, while the others remain missing.

The Libyan Presidential Council established a joint migration task force with the Stability Support Apparatus in 2021. The task force aimed to pool efforts and enhance cooperation to respond to migration challenges in Libya.